For his love: One girl's quest to find a prince
by ChocoLatteCosmo
Summary: Orihime Inoue has always dreamt of finding the man of her dreams. For her, Kurosaki Ichigo is that man. Caught up in her attempts to make Ichigo notice her, she is blind to the presence of other men.. Will Orihime find her prince?
1. Strawberries amour

(Author's Notes:) I'm crazy… I really am! I'm digging my own grave by posting another story, but this little plot bunny has been swimming around for about 3 months, so I'm finally giving up the mental battle, and posting! I don't really remember much about Bleach, so you readers will have to point out blatant mistakes. :D This will be mostly in Orihime's p.o.v, though I might include other characters, and third person at times.

**For his Love: One girl's quest to find a prince**

**---**

**Act one: strawberries amour**

**---**

My name is Inoue Orihime.

…

It's very nice to meet you!

…

Um… there's really not much to tell about me…

I like Asian flower print cloths, comedies… hm, I also like… food! Food, you see, is a gift given from the heavens above, and it is one of the pleasures of daily life… Without it, we die. With it, we live. I like cheese and butter in particular…very soft, very creamy… mmm… There's also this wonderful new bread out in the bakery down the street… You should try it! It's really good! There's grains and stuff in it, but they (the bakers, I mean) sweetened it with honey and fruits, so it's really really really tasty! (You should try it with some butter on it… )

Let me see… I also like animals of almost all kind… especially cuddly, small animals! They're just so adorable, so cuddly! But… I don't think I'd take good care of a pet… I'm kinda klutzy, and forget things sometimes.

I'd probably forget to feed my pet… There was time in 2nd grade, where there were two hamsters in our classroom. Feeding and cleaning duty was given out to the students on different days… And come my turn, I forgot that I had to feed the hamsters (Their names were ramen and Udon, by the way… no idea who named them…)… and clean the cage over the weekend. I mean, it's not my fault! Really, it's just that… my mind has this _habit _of wandering off into it's own world… … … Ok… so anyways, when we came back to class, the hamsters were almost… um… dead… and the class really smelled….

Yeah…

……

Uh…

……

…

…

But it really _wasn't _my fault! I mean, I didn't do it on purpose!

… SO, back to our main topic: about me.

I really don't have much to say… I also like bread, food, romances, shojo manga, occasionally shonen manga, and sunny days! There's so many things to do on sunny days! And school (sometimes) because I get to see my friends! Flowers are beautiful… it's a pity to pick them, but look at itthis way… they'll die in a couple weeks anyways, why not give them the attention they deserve by taking them home? And _candy… _Candy is one of those things that I know I'll miss when I go to heaven… or… do they have candy there? I'm not sure… I've never been there. (I've been to soul society before though! It was rather like… our world, I must admit. Except more structured. I didn't see any candy there.) I like cute things, food, movies, fruits, and the colors white, pale blue, pale pink, lavender, pale shades of green, yellow, white, pale pink, and… orange.

In fact, I love the color orange.

Why, you ask?

Because, you see, _orange, _is the very _unique _link between, me, and … a … very, special person that I know. (Did I mention that I also love fruits? Well, I do. Especially strawberries! Yay! I love strawberries! Strawberries! They are good! They are my friend! )

Orange, is the color of my hair.

…

Well, not exactly orange, but close to it! My hair is… more like a copper-ish color, even though I'm full blooded Japanese. (At least, I think I am… I mean, what else _could _I be? …… No, I refuse to think of this. I _am _Japanese, ok!) And my hair color is completely natural! … I used to be ashamed of it, because I was teased a lot as a kid. But… I found friends as I grew up, so now, everything's fine!

……

I'm currently walking down the street to the grocery store. I only have a couple vegetables and random leftovers left. There's not even a drop of milk left in the carton. It's just an empty carton sitting in the fridge. I probably drank it and forgot to throw it away.

So there I was, walking into my favorite market, doing my shopping, when in walks a certain orange-haired male.

Yes, there is another orange-haired person in my vicinity.

You know what's even better?

He goes to my school.

And even more better… he's in my class!

We're the only two people I know of in our school to have natural orange hair, even though we're Japanese. Cool, huh?

Yeah… I mentioned I like strawberries, right? (If I didn't, here's my advice to you. Buy some strawberries. NOW.)

So anyways, the name of the guy?

…

Ichigo Kurosaki.

----------------------

(3rd person)

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Inoue ran up to the orange-haired male, cheery smile on face. Ichigo turned, precariously holding onto several apples in his hands. His face, automatically in scowling mode, cleared a bit when he caught sight of the familiar girl.

"Oh, Inoue… hi…" He greeted, bending down to drop the apples into the shopping cart near him. He straightened, gave a half smile. Inoue's cheeks flushed a delicate pink.

"Are you doing household shopping too?" She asked, her eyes moving to the almost overflowing shopping cart. Ichigo gave an almost sheepish scowl.

"Uh, yeah… just some restocking of food items…"

As if on cue, a thundering yell echoed down the white, gleaming tiles of the grocery store.

"I- Chi- Go!"

Scandalized customers turned to stare as a black-bearded man came bounding down the aisle towards the two adolescents. Ichigo paled, and hurriedly turned to leave.

"Eh, I've gotta go, ok?" The vibrant-haired male pushed desperately at his loaded cart, but it was too late. The bigger man overtook him easily, and caught the orange-haired boy in a bone-crushing neck lock. Ichigo sputtered, his face turning an angry red. "LEMME GO, YOU OLD MAN! DAMMIT, I SAID GET OFF!"

"ICHIGO! MY DEAR SON, I'VE BEEN SEARCHING ALL OVER THE STORE FOR YOU!"

Watching, Inoue winced at the giddy, overly-excited man's loud voice.

"I SAID, GET OFF ME!"

"OOF!"

Ichigo crashed his head into his father's face, causing enough pain for the man's painful hold on his neck to loosen. Isshin staggered back, dramatic tears in his eyes. By now, a small crowd had gathered. Inoue shrank back towards the shelf, feeling conspicuous. Ichigo's father suddenly looked the girl's way, his face brightening.

"Eh?" Pain conveniently forgotten, the black-haired man bounded towards her. "Who might you be, miss?" He grasped her hands, shook them energetically. "I know I've seen you before, but I'd remember such a pretty face." Here, Isshin winked broadly, much to Inoue's horror. An elbow crashed into the back of Isshin's head, knocking the big man aside.

"Yeah, you know her. She's my friend, Inoue, remember?" Ichigo growled. Isshin's face fell, dramatic tears once more making their ways to his eyes.

"WHY?" He howled, throwing an impromptu kick at Ichigo, who stumbled into the shelf, knocking over several boxes of cereal. Inoue watched in bemusement. The manager came hurrying over, walkie talkie in hand. "WHY ARE YOU SO CRUEL TO ME, DEAREST SON OF MINE?" Said son threw an angry punch at his father's stomach, who doubled over, wheezing out broken words. "Aa… pain… hurts… can't… breathe…"

"Good." Ichigo grunted. The orange-haired male threw an apologetic wave at Inoue. "Eh, I'll be going then. See ya."

The copper-haired female gave a bright smile, and watched her classmate singlehandedly push the shopping cart, dragging his father behind him. She was left surrounded by a sea of cereal boxes and cookie packages, strewn all over the aisle.

Inoue let out a sigh, and turned to apologize to the manager, who was puffed up with indignant anger.

"I'm sooo sorry about that, sir!" She started. "But you see… those two are mentally unstable patients, recently released from the hospital…"

…  
…

----------------------

(Inoue's p.o.v.)

That, was Kurosaki-kun. And his father.

His father's our town doctor.

But anyways, that was Kurosaki Ichigo.

DON'T YOU DARE MAKE FUN OF HIS NAME. Or of him, period. What's wrong with strawberries anyways, huh? They're good for you, and look so pretty! I mean… They are also manly. Very much so. Yep. Strawberries are god's gift to this world. Food.

He's the coolest man to walk this earth, and nothing anybody does or says can change that.

You wanna know _why _he's so cool?

Because he has orange hair.

Yes, that's right.

Natural orange hair.

And he has this scowl on his face all the time. It's rather one of his endearing characteristics. He has no idea how adorable he looks, always trying to look so tough… Not that he isn't…! He is! Very tough! The toughest man to walk this earth! And nothing nobody does or says can change that.

He's also very sweet. Caring.

Looking at him, you wouldn't know it.

I mean, that scowl, and he's rather muscled too. (I don't stare blatantly at him or anything, but close-up, it's rather obvious.) Not over-muscled like one of my friends, Sado-kun… but just muscled enough to look like he's not a wimp, and lithe enough to make him look agile and quick. Which he is. He's the fastest person at our school, far as I know… And nothing anybody does or says can change that!

He's very loyal. That's important. Loyalty keeps friendships together, you see.

Kurosaki-kun is the best guy on this world, honestly.

I don't know why all the girls at our school don't fall all over themselves when they see him coming down the hall. Nope. That job's been taken by one Ishida Uryuu. Heartthrob of our school. But that's beside the point. I guess it's a good thing that the other girls don't think Kurosaki-kun too attractive. (I have no idea why, but they don't. I mean, he's sweet, caring, loyal, athletic, strong, and good-looking to boot. Except that he always scrunches his face in that scowl, so you can't really tell. But no worries!)

…

So why all this fuss over Kurosaki-kun?

…

Well… truth be told… heh heh… uhm… this might come as a surprise but… I… actually have a crush on him.

…

Yes, that's right.

I, Inoue Orihime, have a crush on Kurosaki Ichigo.

…

…

My brother once read me fairy tales of princesses and kingdoms, and happily ever afters.

Well, I'm determined to find the man of my dreams (cough cough, Kurosaki-kun, cough) and make him fall in love with me!

Kurosaki-kun… I'll do whatever I have to in order to make you fall in love with me!

…  
…

-------------------- attempt one end-------------------------

(Author's Notes:) Hm. I might continue this. It's meant to be fairly short, so don't expect too much. Pairings will be revealed as we go on:D … Hope it wasn't too OOC


	2. Attracted to orange

(Author's Notes:)Wow… I got more reviews than expected… (I wonder why nobody bothers to review my other story.. T.T) Thanks for liking this story people! I guess now I'll have to actually put effort and thought into this story… XD… I'm not really too serious about this story though. Oh well. Hope this chapter turns out ok! Here goes typing chapter two…

**For his Love: One girl's quest to find a prince**

**---**

**Act two: attracted to orange**

**---**

My name is Inoue Orihime.

…

It's very nice to meet you!

…

Oh… right… I've already introduced myself… hehe… Moving on then…

…

Right now, I'm at school.

School is horribly boring at times. Ever since all that excitement at Soul Society (we went on a rescue mission to save Rukia-san from death! It was pretty cool… and I saw a lot of things! But… I missed _real _food the whole time we were there… Being alive and going to the world of spirits really isn't all that great. For one, I had a distinct feeling of being out of place the whole time. For another, we kinda … um… broke in. And they didn't have candy there. No candy… just imagine…)

…

So anyways, school is rather dull right now. We're in the middle of English class… which is actually one of my favorite classes. You see, all my favorite people are in this class!

…

There's Sado-kun… He's rather quiet, but he's really really strong. Almost inhumanely so. I mean, he's not your typical muscle man. Once, I saw him trip from the balcony from the outside second level hallway at our school. He fell over the side, and crashed to the ground. It was kinda scary… Sado-kun just laid there for a moment, then he got up and walked off! But he's nice. That's all that matters.

Um… There's Mizuiro-san. I don't really know him, but he seems to be very nice! Except… whenever I see him, he always seems to be with females…

Kurosaki-kun's friend, Keigo-san, is also in our class. He's not somebody I'm too friendly with, but he's rather amusing. Very dramatic, you see. If an insect flew by him during class, he's the type to willingly start a commotion just to get out of doing schoolwork. ("OH MY GOD…! SENSEI, SENSEI! A BUG JUST FLEW BY ME!" …… "So? Shut up and sit down, Keigo."…… "NO, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! SOMEBODY IN THIS CLASS COULD BE ALLERGIC TO BUGS… OR, OR, THEY COULD BE BUG-O-PHOBIC!"…… "…Didn't I tell you to sit down?")

Erm… there's Chizuru-san… I… don't really know what to make of her. She's… well… she prefers females.

It's not that I have anything _against _her, but… well, whenever she's near me, she always has her hand up my skirt or down my blouse… or she's groping my… whatever is in reach. I have to admit, it's a rather uncomfortable feeling.

…

What's WORSE, is that yesterday… Chizuru-san insulted Kurosaki-kun.

…

Yes.

That's right.

She insulted Kurosaki-kun, who happens to be in this English class, and who happens to sit one row behind me and two seats to the right.

…

She called him an "orange-machoistic-wannabe." (I think she was in a bad mood… I heard she got rejected by this girl in another class… Apparently, Chizuru-san really liked her.)

And then, she told him that he's such a wimp, that even straight girls would probably prefer her, "Chizuru-Sama", to him, "Kurosaki-chan." (Here, Kurosaki-kun finally started to look pissed, and starting snapping something about a "flat-chested horny girl like you--" He didn't get to finish the sentence because Chizuru-san lost her temper.)

On top of that, she kneed him.

Right where it hurts most… for males, that is.

…

Kurosaki-kun usually doesn't hurt girls. He's very noble and chivalrous. So he couldn't do anything about Chizuru-san.

Lucky for him, Tatsuki-chan entered the class at the moment Chizuru-san called Kurosaki-kun a pansy, and upon witnessing Chizuru-san kneeing Kurosaki-kun, promptly kicked Chizuru-san in the face, breaking her glasses. Tatsuki-chan said, and I quote, "Just 'cause nobody wants _your _stuffdon't go messin' up other people's."

…

Chizuru-san still isn't talking to Kurosaki-kun or Tatsuki-chan.

…

Tatsuki-chan is also in this class!

She's also my best friend.

Tatsuki-chan is kind of a tomboy, but she's everything I want to be… strong, courageous, laid-back, direct… she's a remarkably refreshing person. I'm glad I'm her friend, because I'd hate to be her enemy! Hahahahaha… ha… ha… … um… yes… she's a wonderful person- an extremely loyal friend!

She's so incredible! I mean… a black-belt in Karate… good at school (except the occasional fail or two…)… athletic… pretty… self-confident…

Yes… I can talk about her for hours. (I can talk about Kurosaki-kun for years! Tatsuki-chan and Kurosaki-kun are both fascinating people… I wonder how I know such people?)

…

Then, there's Ishida-kun.

Ishida-kun… what to make of him? Almost half the girls in our class like him. After all, what's not to like? He's good looking (Kurosaki-kun is better, though…), he's smart (I know Kurosaki-kun has it in him…), he's athletic (but of course, Kurosaki-kun outranks him here…), and above all, he can sew. (…If Kurosaki-kun tried, I'm sure he'd do well at it!)

That's right, Ishida-kun sews.

He's really good at it too… (We're both on the school's sewing club, by the way.) All the people in our class go to him in case of emergency, and he never complains, he just does what they ask of him. Very sweet.

But he's rather cold, maybe even arrogant, though quietly so.

…

Ishida-kun was one of the people who went to Soul-Society with Kurosaki-kun. (I went too, did I ever say that yet? I'll tell you more on that later…)

Apparently, there's some sort of deep rivalry and hatred between Ishida-kun's ancestral line (The Quincy…) and Kurosaki-kun's current occupation (part-time Shinigami). So of course, Ishida-kun hated Kurosaki-kun. But he loosened up once we started hanging out (not by choice, but by necessity, funnily enough… there were all these hollows or monsters and then the whole rescue business with Rukai-san…)

Ever since we came back though, he's been a bit… funny. He's withdrawn again, and even though he doesn't ignore the world around him anymore, Ishida-kun seems to be more moody than before.

I'd ask what's bothering him, but since he seems to think he's hiding it well, I'll just let him think that his secret's safe… whatever it is…

…

Then, best of all, Kurosaki-kun is in this class!

…

When he tries, his English isn't bad… but he doesn't try… half the time, Kurosaki-kun isn't even paying attention, or he's doodling… or he's off fighting hollows outside school. But I'm sure that if he just put a _little _more _effort _into his studies, he'd be a straight-A student who excelled in all subjects!

Oh! Tatsuki-kun is entering the classroom! Yay!

…

Now I can tell her what I thought up last night!

..  
..

----------------------------------------

(third person p.o.v.)

"Tatsuki-chan!"

Orihime stood up, waving to get her friend's attention. The black-haired female blinked, before grinning and heading her long-haired friend's way.

"Hey, Inoue…" Tatsuki dumped her backpack onto the desk and sat down with a grunt. "What's up?"

The orange-haired girl bounced up and down excitedly on her chair, her face bright. Tatsuki eyed her friend suspiciously. _Something's up… _

"Tatsuki-chan…" Here, Inoue glanced sidelong at Ichigo's currently empty seat. The black-haired girl immediately caught Inoue's eyes darting towards Ichigo's seat, and inwardly groaned. _Oh man… the whole Ichigo's a hottie and awesome guy crap again… _"… I told you I like Kurosaki-kun… right…?" Tatsuki restrained from rolling her eyes with difficulty.

"Umm… maybe only about… oh, a couple hundred times…?" She answered innocently. Inoue blushed a deep red, not seeming to hear the sarcasm in her friend's comment.

Tatsuki watched in alarm as Orihime's gaze grew distinctly starry.

"I mean, he's so talented at everything… good-looking… athletic… caring… smart…" Inoue sighed, staring off into space. Tatsuki stared at her friend. _… Love really is blind, isn't it …?_

"Did I ever tell you--"

"Yeah, you probably did…" Tatsuki interrupted, though under her breath. Inoue hadn't even heard her.

"—how nice Kurosaki-kun is…?" Inoue asked dreamily. Tatsuki slumped deeper in her chair. "I saw him giving candy to this little boy on the street the other day…" (of course, what Orihime didn't know was that it had been _Kon _in the body of Ichigo… Kon had been giving back the candy he stole from the boy.)

"How sweet…" Tatsuki murmured. A tall figure walked by the two girls' desks, and they looked up instinctively to see Ishida Uryuu passing them with a courteous nod their way. Inoue gave a belated wave before turning back to the Ichigo-weary Tatsuki.

"And then, there was that time when Kurosaki-kun picked up all the papers I dropped in the hallway…"

..  
..

_**Several one-sided Kurosaki Ichigo related speeches later…**_

..  
..

Orihime fiddled shyly with the hem of her skirt, ignoring or somehow not seeing the disappointed look Chizuru was shooting her way or the dirty glare directed at Tatsuki. The large-bosomed girl bowed her head, preventing Tatsuki from seeing her face.

"So… I was kinda thinking…" Inoue said slowly. "I've liked Kurosaki-kun for a while now…" She said, her voice growing smaller.

"Yeah…" Tatsuki said guardedly.

"… and since he isn't with any girls… officially…" Inoue continued, her voice now shrunk to a whisper. Tatsuki's eyes narrowed. "I was thinking… maybe… I should try to make him notice _me_…" The long-haired girl timidly raised her head, caught Tatsuki's raised eyebrow. Inoue immediately blushed deeply. "W- well, it was just a thought… maybe- you know, get him to like me…" She mumbled. The tomboyish girl beside her gave a short laugh.

"Whatever… suit yourself." She said with a sigh. "Though I really don't get why you like _Ichigo_… of all people…" Tatsuki added.

"Do you really think I should, then?" Inoue asked, perking up.

"……" Tatsuki looked at Ichigo's empty desk, then looked at Orihime's bright and hopeful face. It was a lost cause, indeed. "If it makes you happy." She shrugged. "… Your love life, anyways." Orihime clasped her hands together, looking overjoyed.

"Tatsuki-chan!" She cried. "I knew you'd support me…!"

…

The classroom door opened with a slam, and in walked the subject of Orihime's love, complete with scowl and a band-aid on the cheek. Tatsuki slumped deeper into her seat.

_Of all the people… Why the hell does she like _him…! She thought, her own face wearing a scowl to match Ichigo's.

Ichigo stalked past the rows of desks, grunting in reply towards the enthusiastic Orihime's greeting. Upon reaching his seat, he prompty collapsed into his chair, and was out like a light in a matter of seconds. Tatsuki glanced at Orihime, who was gazing at the orange-haired male with a distinctly soft expression.

"……" Tatsuki shook her head. "Huhn… Inoue… you're gonna have a hell of a time attracting that dense idiot…" She muttered under her breath.

Somehow, the black-haired girl _really _didn't have a good feeling about what the future would bring…

..  
..

----------------------- attempt two end -------------------

(Author's Notes:) Coming next chapter; Orihime's attempts to win Kurosaki Ichigo begins!

Side notes: Wow… I got a lot more reviews than I thought I would for the first chapter. (T.T … why, why, WHY, is my other story not doing as well? I really work so hard on the other one…) Thanks for liking it, I guess. I hope that when I try to attempt humor, it'll actually be funny… XD … I'm trying to expand my writing skills, and it's my first time writing something like this.

Also, does anybody know what Tatsuki refers to Orihime as? Aa well…

I'll try to get the next chapter up soon…


	3. chocolate spelled 'spice'

(Author's Notes:) Sorry… know it's been a while… I was gone from home for a bit, and where I went, there was no computers available… I was stranded, in the middle of nowhere…

And school's gonna start for me, come September 7th.. that oughta be fun… - -;;

…  
…  
…

**For his Love: One girl's quest to find a prince**

**---**

**Act three: Chocolate pronounced 'spice'**

**---**

Lately, I've been hard at work!

I'm trying to make my dreams of Kurosaki-kun a reality! (Go Orihime! Yaaaaaay!)

…

So this is what I found out yesterday;

Apparently, Kurosaki-kun likes spicy foods, and chocolates. (I wonder if he eats them together, or separately…?)

So anyways, I now know that Kurosaki-kun likes those two types of foods, thanks to Sado-kun. (But honestly, it's so hard trying to have a good conversation with him… My talk with him went like this:

…

- **Me**- "Sado-kun! Konnichiwa!"

- **Sado-kun**- "Aa… Inoue-san… morning.."

- **Me**- "So… how's everything been going…?"

- **Sado-kun**- "Aa… fine…"

- **Me**- "Oh… that's good…"

_Here, Sado-kun grunts in reply._

- **Me**- "So… Sado-kun… Do you mind if I ask you something…?"

_Here, Sado-kun grunts in reply._

- **Me**- "Ok then… um… I'm just wondering…"_ I clear my throat. _"D-doyouknowwhatkindathingsk-k-kurosakikunlikestoeat?"

_Sado-kun raises an eyebrow._

-**Sado-kun**- "I couldn't hear that very well. Do you mind repeating it… slower?"

- **Me**- "Oh! Of course… I'm so sorry…" _I clear my throat again. _"Do… you… um… know what Kurosaki-kun… likes to eat…?"

_Silence_

- **Me**- "… Sado-kun…?"

_Here, Sado-kun scratches the back of his neck._

- **Sado-kun**- "Well… I heard him mention that he likes certain stuff…"

- **Me**- "Really? That's great! Do you remember what he said?"

- **Sado-kun**- "Uh… something like… 'Hey… this is pretty good! You should try some-'"

- **Me**- "No, no… do you remember _what _it is that he likes?"

_Sado-kun rubs his chin._

- **Sado-kun**- "Well… He likes **BLEEP** and he's always eating something **BLEEEEEEEP**."

- **Me- **"Oh! That's wonderful! Thank you sooo much for helping me out!"

_Here, Sado-kun grunts and nods._

…

Oh well. Uncommunicative he may be… but it is due to the wonderful Sado-kun that I now know the secret to Kurosaki Ichigo's heart!)

…  
…

Right now, I'm at home… Doing what, you ask?

Hehehe… that, is a secret!

Good things come to all those who wait! Just wait, and you'll see—oh no! It's burning! AAAh!

…

-----------------------------

(3rd person p.o.v.)

…  
…

Tatsuki eyed the bundle in Orihime's hand with some misgivings.

"…… What… is that for…?" The black-haired girl asked in a would-be casual voice. "Don't tell me you're gonna give it to-"

"It's for Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue beamed, and held out the object for Tatsuki's inspection. She took it gingerly.

The whole thing was extremely girly… It reeked of femininity. The wrapping was a pale pink, complete with rose pink swirly (1) designs. Inoue had tied it with lacy ribbon, white as the lace on a woman's wedding dress. There were even heart designs worked delicately into the fragile lace.

The black-haired karate user quickly thrust the wrapped box back into her friends' hands.

"Wow… it's really… Well, that is…" Tatsuki floundered, meeting Inoue's expectant face. "- pink…" She finished lamely. Inoue blinked.

"Oh… thank you!" Orihime smiled. "I spent all day yesterday making this and finding the right wrapping to go with it!" She bestowed a dazzling smile to her friend. Tatsuki cleared her throat, looked once again at the package in Orihime's hands, and winced.

"So, what's in it…?" She asked cautiously. Orihime's smile widened.

"Nope!" She announced, turning and placing the box beneath her chair. "Not telling!"

"………" Tatsuki fought to keep the somewhat revolted expression off her face. "So, when are you giving… that… thing to him…?" She asked in what she imagined to be an enthusiastic tone. Inoue smiled again.

"I'll give it to him at lunch time!"

…  
…

-----------------------------

_**Come lunch time… **_

…  
…

Ichigo blinked.

…

Sado blinked.

…

Mizuiro blinked.

…

Keigo grinned.

…

Ishida sighed.

…

Tatsuki winced.

…

Orihime waited.

…  
…

…

"……" Ichigo slowly took the outheld object in Orihime's hands rather cautiously. Inoue beamed.

"It's for you, Kurosaki-kun!" She said with excitement. "I thought you might like it…"

The orange-haired male stared almost helplessly at the blinding pink and white wrapped box, as though not quite sure what to do with the thing. Ishida sighed again, before elbowing the hapless boy next to him. Ichigo's head whipped around to glare evilly at the Quincy.

"Thank her and open it, you fool…" Ishida muttered. Ichigo eyed the dark-haired Quincy before turning back to the waiting girl before him.

"Wow… uh… Thanks, Inoue…" Ichigo said with lackluster enthusiasm. Standing behind Orihime, Tatsuki smirked. Even though the black-haired girl hadn't been too sure about wanting to witness her best friend embarrass herself, she was glad she had come— if only to see the look on Ichigo's face.

…

Ichigo set the box on his knees and opened it with a wooden expression.

…

Keigo and Mizuiro leaned forward in anticipation. Even Tatsuki couldn't help herself from peering into the box.

Ichigo blinked once again.

…

Inside, lay several dark-brown blobs.

…

Orihime spoke.

"Try some… It's not bad…" She said shyly, now fiddling with her hands. "Well… at least, I hope it's not bad…" Orihime added as an afterthought. Ichigo glanced at her hopeful expression. The dark-brown blobs had a strange orangey-red tint to them. The substitute shinigami suppressed a sigh before bravely plunging his hand into the box and drawing out one of the ominous objects.

All those assembled on the rooftop of the school watched the orange-haired boy with baited breath.

…

Ichigo closed his eyes, and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.

…

They peered at his face, eyed his jaw, which was slowly moving up and down… up and down…

Up and down…

Up and down…

…  
…

His eyes opened rather suddenly.

Keigo peered into his friend's face.

"Well?" He asked impatiently. "How is it?" Inoue clasped her hands together, fixing her eyes on the silent Ichigo. The orange-haired boy's eyes darted to the hopeful orange-haired girl.

…

Ichigo swallowed, opened his mouth…

… barely held in a grimace, and stuck another of the brown blobs into his mouth.

…

…

Inoue broke out into a blissful grin.

"Do you like it, then?" She asked, happiness radiating from every corner of her being. Tatsuki broke out a small smile despite herself.

Ichigo swallowed again, and bit into another of the brown blobs. Keigo helped himself to one, which everybody else took as an open invitation.

"It's… uh… good." The orange-haired boy said through a mouthful. "It's almost like… chocolate…" He said, resisting the urge to spit the whole thing out of his mouth.

"It is!" Orihime said brightly.

"… oh…" Ichigo looked at the remaining number of brown blobs in the pink box. Only three left. It wouldn't be too hard to force Keigo or Chad to eat them.

"I heard from… a reliable source…" Orihime's eyes moved towards Sado before snapping back to the orange-haired boy. "… That you like Chocolate, and spicy food! So I bought some semi-sweet chocolate, melted it, and put hot-pepper powder in it, along with some curry powder!" She said happily. Ichigo looked back down at the brown blobs. Curry and pepper powder… That explained the orangey-red tint to the brown blobs.

"… I see…" Was all that Ichigo could come up with. "… Thanks, Inoue…" He added.

Tatsuki, who had just bitten into one of the brown blobs, unobtrusively spat it back out. The males sitting in front of the two females sat stoically chewing the "chocolates." The black-haired girl sighed. She needed to get Orihime out of there. Tatsuki threw an arm over Orihime's shoulders, and gave a falsely cheery wave to the silent males.

"Hey, it's been great seeing you guys…"

"Huhn? Oh, Tatsuki-chan… what?"

Talk to you guys later, bye!"

"Ah! Tatsuki-chan! Wait! My hair! Ow! Ow!"

With that, the two females disappeared through the door that lead back into the school.

…

…

Silence pressed heavily on the shoulders of the unfortunate five males sitting on the rooftop of their school.

…

Keigo cleared his throat significantly, breaking the silence.

"What… was that all about?" He asked. Ichigo shrugged. Keigo gasped, turning to Mizuiro. "Wait… could it have been… a secret plot by the females of our classroom to poison us?" Keigo's face lighted up as he started coming up with scenes of unconscious males in the presence of many females.

"You fools…" Ishida said, shaking his head. Two heads turned to automatically glare at the dark-haired boy. "It's obvious that…" His voice trailed off. Ichigo looked at him suspiciously.

"What? What's obvious?" Ichigo growled. The Quincy stared at the substitute shinigami.

"……" Ishida turned away. "Never mind."

"Who wants the rest of the spicy Chocolates?"

…  
…  
…

------------- attempt three end----------------------------------

(Author's notes:) Wow! Thanks for all the reviews! I have no idea why I got so many… but I'm not complaining about that! XD

Hmm… why is everyone so certain that this story is an Ishida x Orihime fic? For all you people know… it could be Sado x Orihime… or Urahara x orihime… or Byakuya x Orihime… XD Actually… I have no idea what I want it to be anymore. I had a certain pairing in mind when I started this fic… but now, I'm not so sure. Oh well… we'll see!

**YL: **Thank you for your review… Yes, I'd forgotten that Ichigo placed 23rd. Was that in the school or class? Probably school. Oh well… let's just assume that he hasn't been doing as well lately. He's just barely above average at school in my story because he's so busy doing other stuff. Hope that explanation works for all. If not, I'll just go back and fix that error.

**F91: **XD . Thanks for the compliments! About the whole Kon thing… Your mind and mine work alike! Hehehe… It must be your writer's mind that gives you so much insight… (I think I read one of your stories on Bleach…)

**Fujin…: **I haven't been reading Bleach lately… in about three months or more, let's say. So please forgive me:D I used the last chapter (or was it this one?) to fix that whole Ishida is a heartthrob thing. There was a chapter I read, where all the girls are at Ishida's desk. So I used my artistic license… XD

-----

Next chapter will be up… someday! XD


	4. feminine charms

(Author's Notes:) Wow…… School is.. scary. OO I have nights where I get only 2- 5 hours of sleep, and some nights, I've had to pull off all nighters… Yeah… So I'm sorry if the chapters seem lacking in quality… but I'm too tired to do anything more right now…

ok. You guys better be reading this. OO I don't wanna repeat myself. For those who are still confused on the last Chapter 4 version, that was just a random thing I put up to see which pairing people preferred.

The results:

**More people preferred Ishida x Orihime to Byakuya x Orihime**.

So, I'll be sticking with the original plan, and if you guys want, I'll add in slight Byakuya x Orihime. BUT PLEASE NOTE! I will NOT be following the manga's story line after the trip to soul society incident. Everything else after the Rukia rescue mission will be alternative reality in this story.

…  
…  
…

**For his Love: One girl's quest to find a prince**

**---**

**Act four: feminine charms**

**---**

…

…

It's been one week.

…

One whole week since those chocolates I gave him.

…

If you give chocolates to a boy, isn't it one of the most obvious declarations of love?

… At least… that's what I thought…

…

So if that's the case, why hasn't Kurosaki-kun come leaping into my arms yet?

…

Uhhhhh… ok… that's a little unrealistic… As pleasant as the thought is, if that ever happened, I would think that it WASN'T Kurosaki-kun. (I mean, can you imagine him doing something like that?)

…

But… at least a smile, some _sign _that he knew I liked him, and felt the same way…

Is that asking too much?

…

I can't stand this waiting. Time is moving, and I'm not doing anything.

…

It's time to take this to the next level!

Fight or die, Orihime! Yeah!

…

-----------------

(3rd person p.o.v.)

…

…

Tatsuki Arisawa looked at the oncoming figure with trepidation, her eyes round. The sound of distinct heels sounded loudly against the flooring, echoing strangely in the sudden silence.

Heads turned, jaws dropped, and eyes widened as a certain orange-haired girl walked towards Tatsuki.

Tatsuki sweated.

"O-Orihime…!" She stuttered over her friend's name, as said person approached.

"Aa… Good morning, Tatsuki-chan!" A bright smile flashed its lovely way towards the black-haired Karate user. Tatsuki gave an uneasy smile back.

All around, people were whispering, casting furtive glances at the two. Tatsuki glared at the miscreants, but even she couldn't help wincing when Inoue finally stopped in front of her desk. Tatsuki cleared her throat after a couple seconds of awkward silence. Unfortunately, when she opened her mouth to say something, no sound came out. Tatsuki closed her mouth again, feeling foolish.

Inoue peered shyly at her friend.

"Do I look alright?" She whispered. Tatsuki raised her eyes, and gave Inoue a cursory inspection before quickly turning away, suppressing a groan of dismay.

God… the shame of it all…

Why, why, WHY was she friends with this girl again? Sometimes, it was extremely hard to remember why. Especially when Orihime got these ridiculous notions into her head (cough cough-- liking Ichigo, for one) … and those notions led her to do these ridiculous things (hack hack—trying to impress Ichigo, for another)… and these ridiculous things led to even more ridiculous situations (choke— her outfit is practically screaming for a guy to molest her!)… and… and…

This was starting to give her a headache.

"Tatsuki-chan… daijoubu…?" Orihime leaned in closer, peering at the black-haired girl's face worriedly. Tatsuki's jaw tightened at the low whistles of appreciation coming from the cluster of males sitting behind her.

"Yeah. Just fine and dandy." Arisawa practically snarled at the group of boys, threatening them away to the other side of the room. Turning back to Orihime, the faithful Tatsuki tacked on a somewhat unconvincing smile. "And… you look… very…" Her voice trailed off momentarily as her mind cast about frantically for a suitable word. "uhm… womanly."

Orihime beamed.

"Do I really? That's great! It took me forever to do the makeup… it kept smudging on me… and the clothes were so hard to decide on… since you know, school uniform rules and all…"

Tatsuki's mind detached itself from the conversation as Ichigo slammed open the door with customary scowl in place.

She really didn't want to be here to witness the inevitable.

"Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime whispered excitedly. "He… Kurosaki-kun is here!"

Arisawa nodded uncomfortably.

"Yeah… imagine that…" She sank lower into her seat, heaving a deep sigh.

This was going to be a long day.

A very long day.

…

…

------------------------------

…

…

Ichigo blinked at the sudden apparition that had appeared right before his eyes.

…

…

------------------------------

Everybody had been accusing him of being gay lately.

…

Why?

Because he simply did not seem interested in females.

…

He had good reason; Said orange-haired male lived in a house with one irritable, cranky black haired girl who acted remarkably like himself, and a innocent, and easily upset blonde girl who had taken upon herself the ubiquitous role of mother. He supposed his sisters weren't that horrible… but still…

Then there was the fact his mother had died. That had definitely scarred him…

And Arisawa Tatsuki with her whole tomboyishness that also entailed kicking his ass whenever she felt like it… scary just a bit, yeah?

…

Oh, and the whole 'I-am-a-Shinigami-now-prepare-to-have-your-ass-blasted-into-oblivion-stupid-hollow!' thing certainly took up a good deal of his time.

Add to that one potentially crazy father and those he dubiously termed 'friends,' and… well… it was kinda hard to miss WHY he never seemed to look at females.

…

And no.

He, Kurosaki Ichigo, was NOT gay. (1)

…

…

It wasn't that he was NOT interested in the female gender.

He was.

He had his own stash of … certain magazines and manga… stashed in a very private corner of his room.

…

Not that he ever had a chance to read those these days.

Again, he attributed that to his newfound occupation of substitute shinigami.

…

…

-----------------

…

…

So there he currently was, one fine school morning full of the usual chaos…

… with a good amount of female, er, chest cleavage staring him in the face.

…

The orange-haired substitute shinigami stared stupidly at this vision that every male secretly hoped to see, as an angelic voice uttered some words that he failed to catch.

"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun!"

Fortunately for him, some unfrozen part of his brain registered the words, and forced the rest of his brain back into action. It was from here that his potentially good morning started to go rapidly downhill.

"Huhn?" He said intelligently, looking up. His eyes widened in shock and embarrassment as he encountered a familiar face. "……crap!"

Ichigo immediately pushed his chair far back and toppled over as a result, crashing into the desk behind him.

Inoue's mouth dropped in horror and she immediately went around his desk to help him up.

"Oh my gosh! Kurosaki-kun! Are you ok?"

Ichigo yelped when she drew closer, ignoring the roars of laughter sounding from the male population in the classroom.

"Fine, fine! I'm fine, Inoue!" He sprang back up, nearly crashing into the desk behind him. A few desks away, Tatsuki snickered. _Maybe today won't be so long afterall,_ she thought with an amused twinkle in her eye.

"Kurosaki-kun? What's wrong?" Inoue looked at him with her typical innocent expression. "You're all red in the face…"

The orange-haired male's face darkened.

"I am?"

Inoue nodded.

"awwwwwwww …… crap…" He muttered, scowl falling back into place. Keigo took this as his cue to bound forward.

"Orihime-san!" The hyper male grinned, looking the female up and down lecherously. "I must say, you look astonishingly different today… positively radiant! Glowing with feminine beauty!" He declared. Ichigo chanced a peek back at the female standing somewhat nervously before him.

Instead of the customary hairstyle he was used to seeing, she had her hair up in an elaborate mess that resulted in a hairstyle that looked like it had taken ages to do. Shiny red lipstick stood out against her creamy skin, and her eyelids had been darkened with that stuff girls wore on their eyes.

Inoue's conservative dress had been exchanged in favor of a shirt that rode up whenever she moved, exposing a rather broad expanse of smooth flesh. Her skirt was far too short to be called appropriate, and too many buttons were open on her shirt to be called modest. And instead of the usual shoes and socks that girls wore, she was wearing a pair of rather painful looking heels.

"What is the special occasion today, Orihime-san?" Keigo asked, still looking at her with lust in his eyes.

"Yeah, what is the occasion, huhn?" Ichigo repeated in a low murmur.

Inoue looked at the orange haired male, who had, by now, decided to focus instead on the windowsill. His cheeks were still fiery red, but his scowl was back.

And more prominent then ever.

…

Her eyes dropped with the presence of sudden tears.

"Uhm. No reason." She whispered.

Keigo watched, taken aback, when the copper-haired female turned on her heels (quite literally, at that) and fled from the room.

"Was it something I said?" He wondered aloud with a tragic expression on his face.

…

…

Ishida, who had been watching the whole encounter from start to finish without saying a single word, now turned to Ichigo.

"Nice going, Kurosaki." He bit out. "You've succeeded in making Inoue-san feel horrible about herself when she was so obviously trying to please… someone." The black-haired Quincy shook his head disapprovingly. Ichigo's jaw dropped in amazement.

"Whaaat?" He growled. "So it's MY fault that she decided to dress so… immodestly?"

Tatsuki elbowed the clueless boy on the back of the head, her good mood rapidly deteriorating.

"Ichigo… do us all a favor and get some brains."

"……" The orange-haired boy's scowl deepened even more. "… Damn it all…"

…

…

---------------- attempt four end-----------

(Author's notes:) The ending turned out a bit different than how I wanted it. Aa well.

Next chapter oughta be interesting. I'm almost positive it will contain some interaction between certain pairings.

Hm. Hope this chapter wasn't too horrid.

Now… it's back to the torture chamber… ooops… I mean, schoolwork… haha… ha… ha…


	5. Hollow my prince

(Author's Notes:) Urgh… I meant to update much quicker… but whatever… I couldn't even sleep properly lately because of school…

enjoy… there will be some twists and turns in this chapter:) Oh. and cursing in this chapter. mild I think. lol  
…

**For his Love: One girl's quest to find a prince**

**---**

**Act five: Hollow my prince.**

**---**

…

…

I've tried everything I can.

Food? Check.

Oddly enough, Kurosaki-kun hasn't come near me at lunch nowadays…

I really don't understand why… isn't the way to a man's heart his stomach? At least… that's what I've heard… Just yesterday, I tried going near him with my bento in hand, and he turned pale and practically fled! It was saddening…

Alas, my poor heart, quivering with rejection and loneliness!

Romeo, oh Romeo… Where art thou, Romeo?

Maybe Ichigo just isn't cut out to be Romeo.

(Actually, although I know he'd make a great Romeo, maybe another role would fit him better… he's a bit… too … _gruff_ to be called a Romeo…)

Anyways,

If my prowess as a cook didn't impress him, you'd think for sure that he'd like seeing me dressed a bit… more femininely!

A makeover? Double check. Though Kurosaki-kun didn't seem to appreciate the new me… He didn't look at me again for the rest of that day… (Although, strangely, I noticed that everyone _else, _the people who didn't really _matter,_ kept looking at me with weird expressions… how strange… )

…

Why?

What am I doing wrong?

Is there no hope for me?

Am I destined to go through life without any person to love? It's bad enough that I lost my parents and brother…

(No, Orihime! Think happy thoughts! Happy thoughts! Birds and food and cheese and honey! Think HAPPY!)

…

It doesn't matter!

He's my prince charming, no matter how reluctant he seems!

I WILL be victorious!

I will _**not** _give up on Kurosaki-kun!

Never!

NEVER!

Pigs may start flying, and rampant ginger-bread men may roam our world, but nothing will deter me from my love for Kurosaki-kun!

The strength of my love for him is indomitable!

One way or the other, I'll make him notice me!

…

----------------------------------------

(3rd person p.o.v.)

…

…

A languid silence filled the classroom.

"A white bird flew by the window…" The teacher read from the book, never once looking up from the English textbook in his hands.

In one corner of the room, the sounds of a pencil scratching on paper accompanied by smothered giggles disrupted the relative quiet. The rest of the students were either staring blankly at the teacher, or staring out the window.

One or two students had actually fallen asleep, their mouths open and snoring with almost reckless abandon.

"Izumo-san, please read the sentence at the bottom of page 276." The English teacher said in a monotone voice. Said student rose hurriedly, hastily turning to the mentioned page.

"A… a… ahnoder bedu p… plu… to joinu the whaitu bedu…" (translation: another bird flew to join the white bird.)

"Pathetic." The teacher remarked, his eyes still focused on the text in his hands. He turned the page, and launched into another lecture. "You must remember to get rid of the extra vowel sound you dolts make at the end when speaking English… it's ridiculous… almost half an year we've been in this class, yet only three students remain who can even read simple second grade level text!" The book in his hands slammed to the desk with a loud thud, startling many out of a drowsy stupor.

… Except one, who continued to snore raucously, quite unaware of the sudden silence that had fallen in the classroom.

"KUROSAKI! " The teacher thundered, the glasses on his face glinting ominously. Just as he was stomping over to the oblivious boy, ruler in hand, three things happened quite simultaneously, causing an instant uproar.

--

One: a loud beeping noise issued from Ichigo's pocket, though that was heard only by a select few.

Two: Ichigo tumbled out of his chair, cursing loudly and vilely, turning over his desk onto an innocent bystander's leg in the process. (Said bystander began howling loudly, thus throwing the classroom into further chaos.)

Three: a deafening explosion sounded in the classroom as a sudden plume of smoke became visible outside the windows.

--

Several girls screamed, faces pale as another explosion caused their desks to shudder. The teacher stared at the growing mass of smoke evident through the window with bewilderment.

The pillar-like mass of smoke billowed angrily, lapping at the sky with bloody hints of red-orange. A fire had started, somewhere in that vicinity.

"Cl-Class! Settle down!"

A girl hiccupped in the corner, clutching her friend in terror.

Ichigo kicked away the chair tangled with his body angrily, and leapt up from the floor, his face thunderous and hands clenched into fists.

"Chad. Run to my house." He snapped in a low mutter. "Get Kon to guard my family." He ordered tersely, already digging in his pockets frantically for the soul-candy that would forcibly rip his soul from his physical body.

Sado nodded grimly.

Uryuu Ishida, who had hitherto been observing the pandemonium stoically, turned to Ichigo with a dark expression.

"I can feel him." He said darkly. Ichigo spared him hardly a glance as he shoved the pill-like object into his mouth. Mere seconds later, his body folded as the orange-haired shinigami emerged.

Sado quickly took off, holding the limp, soulless body in his arms, and succeeding in escaping the classroom without much notice.

Ichigo ran for the nearest window, paused at the windowsill, and looked back, the barest flickers of anxiety visible in his gaze.

"I can too."

Orihime cleared her throat softly.

"Kurosaki-kun… Come back safely." She said quietly. Ichigo flashed a brief smile, and disappeared from view. Inoue watched him go with a frown evident on her pale face.

Somehow, she had the feeling that maybe, just maybe, this particular Hollow wouldn't be as easy as the previous ones.

…

From behind Ishida and Orihime, Tatsuki's mouth thinned as she watched Sado running out of the school's front gates, Ichigo's body tucked under his arm as if it were an inanimate object.

Something was going on.

She could feel it.

…  
…

-------

…

…

_Clawing… tearing…._

_Shouting in his mind incessantly._

…

Ichigo staggered up from the ground, ferociously wiping the blood from his mouth.

Not one.

Not two.

…

… _**out…. . . . . . . . . **_

…

Five hollows.

Five fuckin monstrously large Hollows.

What the hell was Soul society doing? Were they planning on letting him handle these monsters by himself?

Sure, he was badass and all, but between having to try to remain sane while battling, and having to do with FIVE of the stupid hollows at once… It was a wonder he was still alive.

…

He leapt aside as one particularly large and ugly Hollow with a head that jutted out like a vulture's barreled towards him, knocking over a couple street poles in the process.

Ichigo gripped his zankapotou, and just as the monster passed him again, he swiftly slashed out, severing the head from the body.

One down.

Four to go.

"Shit!" He yelled in frustration. "Where the hell is anyone useful when I need them!"

…

… _**Little Ichigo wants to play….**_

_**To play**_

… _**and he'll be dead…**_

_**by the end of today!**_

…

He could almost see the condescending glee in the _other's _face.

"SHUT IT!" He roared. "LET ME CONCENTRATE, YOU DAMN FOOL!"

…

… _**So long…….**_

_**So long since freedom…..**_

…

The bright-haired male growled in frustration, gripping his eye as his vision swam for a second. Around him, he could hear noises, see blurry outlines. Inside his own mind, he was being drowned out by the voice of another.

One more powerful than he.

The whites of his eyes blackened slowly, agonizingly, as Ichigo gritted his teeth, hoping, hoping, that the Hollow within would relent and let him finish the stupid fight.

It had dragged on long enough, thanks to the stupid thing.

More glass shattering, more concrete and cement cracking.

And inside his head, the neverending, ever growing screaming and insane laughter.

…

_**OUT…….. **_

… _**LET ME OUuut!**_

…

The vision in his other eye slowly blurred.

_Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. _

A mantra formed in Ichigo's head as he realized that the Hollow-Ichigo's pull was far stronger than it had been last time.

…

_Get out of my head…_

_Leave me alone!_

…

A last, brief struggle for control, and suddenly, the world went black for Ichigo.

--------- end of attempt five----

(Author's note:) Whoa! A sudden, dark turn in the story! Where did THAT pop up from? Suddenly, the story's not so humorous anymore! XD

Rest assured, the story will go back to Orihime:) I know what I'm doing, so RELAX folks, ok?

I'm sorry… it's been forever since my last update. I am officially getting 2-6 hours of sleep each day now, cause of school. Usuallly 4.

Pairings will start being revealed come next chapter; next two chapters will be sorta dark, then it'll zoom back on Orihime. Lol.

Enjoy, and thanks for the many reviews people! I was shocked to realize I have.. er. .. what do I have.. lemme check… well.. 70 something views, at my last check:O thanks for the reviews people! You have no idea how happy it makes me:D Wowzers! I'm really looking forward to future chapters. :) Hopefully, my next chapter wont be so long in coming … /


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